Alternative Host
by TheDusty321
Summary: What if Melanie and Wanda met in a different way? When Melanie gets captured, no one is inserted into her and she is put in a cell instead. Then, she finds that in a neighboring cell is one of the Souls she had come to loathe. Though initially hating her, Melanie comes to understand Wanderer and decides to take her along to find Jeb's hiding place. See what changes in this story.
1. Captured

**In this version of the Host, Melanie does get captured, but no Soul is put into her, leaving her to be put in a cell instead. Wanda is already in Pet's body and is in the neighboring cell. Watch as they become unlikely friends and leave to search for the caves together.**

 **The Host belongs to Stephenie Meyer, though the alternative scenario belongs to me.**

* * *

Melanie Stryder was brought before Fords Deep Waters. The Healer flinched upon seeing her injuries. Nevertheless, he went to work, healing her injuries using the various medicines used by those of his Calling. A Seeker in black stood anxiously to the side, watching Fords do his job. Fords turned to the Seeker after finishing.

"Is there a reason you are so anxious, Seeker?" he asked.

"Are there any Souls ready for insertion?" the Seeker asked.

Fords shook his head.

"There are, but none that would go into this one," he said, "Wanderer is likely the only real candidate, but, as you know, she has already been inserted into another Host and she is too proud to skip a life term."

The Seeker hissed in disgust.

"That traitor would object, no doubt," she said, "She seems very fond of humans these days."

"In her defense, it was a little girl she was protecting," Fords argued, "Didn't the girl's parents object as well?"

"They did," the Seeker responded, "But they're fools for doing so. Sure, she may seem innocent and harmless now, but when she grows older, she's going to become a problem for us."

"As possible as that may be, I'm sure a Human raised by us Souls is not going to be too much trouble," Fords said.

"Until she lashes out and starts resisting us!" the Seeker said, "Humans are all the same! Violent, emotional brutes that will not succumb!"

"Like Lacey, for instance?" Fords asked.

The Seeker gasped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

"I think you do, Seeker," Fords replied, "I have seen you stare off into space as if lost in thought, and you particularly seem to hate Humans with a passion. Am I wrong in assuming that Lacey might still be alive inside her own head?"

The Seeker just gritted her teeth.

"But, that is not important at the moment," Fords said, "What shall we do about the girl here?"

This question made the Seeker smirk.

"I say we put her in the cell next to the traitor's," she suggested.

"Neither would be happy with those accommodations," Fords argued.

"Exactly," the Seeker replied, "It would be a fitting punishment for one of the Humans Wanderer is rather fond of to threaten her life every day."

"If your fellow Seekers heard you talk like that, they would think you had succumbed to your Host's tendencies," Fords remarked, "I, myself, am a little unnerved. After all, we may send our fellow Souls off-planet against their will, but even that is for their own good. What you are suggesting is a form of torture. Not to mention that you are punishing Wanderer for standing by her friends and protecting their child, Human though she may be."

"You almost sound like Burns Living Flowers," the Seeker said, "Now there's a traitor if I've ever heard of one."

Fords sighed.

"As I understand it," he said, "All he did was see things from the Humans' perspective and now he is doing what he can to help the Humans live comfortably wherever they are hiding out. If I do indeed sound like him, then there is clearly something wrong with what we are doing here on Earth."

"There's nothing wrong!" the Seeker snapped, "We are doing this planet a service!"

"I am not saying that we are not," Fords responded, "Any surviving Humans would probably agree with us on that point if they thought about it. But, for Humans to resist us almost from Day 1, there has to be something we are not realizing. And, I think I have a fairly good idea of what that is."

"Whatever it is, it's not important," the Seeker said, "Your patient will be waking up soon and I'd rather have her contained until then."

Fords sighed.

"All right," he said, "Do as you wish. I can see that there is no convincing you otherwise."

"Thank you, Healer," the Seeker said, "You will not regret this."

She promptly wheeled Melanie out of the facility.

"If the Human girl and Wanderer end up befriending each other, I probably will not," Fords said to himself.


	2. Delivered

**Sorry to keep you folks waiting. This is the second chapter or first chapter depending on your perspective. Speaking of perspectives, this chapter's in Wanda's. Enjoy.**

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Wanda POV

There was a knock on my cell door. I turned myself over on the bed to see who it was.

"Hello, 'Wanda'," the visitor called, saying my name mockingly.

I groaned. This was the last person I wanted to see.

"What do you want now, Seeker?" I whimpered.

"You're getting a new neighbor today," the Seeker said.

A neighbor? I didn't want to admit it to the Seeker, but I have been rather lonely here.

"A neighbor, Seeker?" I asked as I sat up.

"Yes, Wanderer," the Seeker said cheerily, "She's still out cold right now, but I'm sure that when she wakes up, you'll be the best of friends."

I know that, as a Soul, I shouldn't be suspicious. But given my recent history with this Seeker, I couldn't help but feel something off in her cheeriness.

"Why are you so happy, Seeker?" I asked.

"I'm happy because I'm giving you a companion, so you won't be lonely anymore," she explained.

"But, you've made your dislike for me quite clear," I argued, "Why would you be so happy to give me a companion when I stopped you from fulfilling your Calling? It doesn't make any sense."

"You did what you thought was right, so I've decided to forgive you," the Seeker replied.

"I don't believe you," I said simply.

The Seeker dropped the façade, growling at me.

"Fine, then," she said, "I admit it. I still think you're a filthy traitor. Happy?"

"Not really," I said, "Now, what's the real reason for my 'neighbor'?"

The Seeker smirked.

"Well, I wasn't lying when I said she was a present to you," she said, "She's a human we recently captured here in Chicago. There were no Souls that would volunteer to be inserted into her, so we decided to lock her up instead. And, I figured since you seem to be so fond of humans these days, I didn't think you'd mind if I put her next to you."

A human?!

"How old is this human?" I asked.

"I'd say about 20 years old," the Seeker replied, to my horror, "I don't actually know."

Oh no! A young adult! She'll probably want to kill me on sight! Then, I gasped in realization.

"That's why you put her next to me!" I whimpered, "You knew she'd want to kill me as soon as she laid eyes on me!"

"Exactly!" she said, "I thought it'd be fitting considering your recent fondness of these creatures! Maybe now, you'll see why the child should've had a Soul inserted into her! So she wouldn't become this violent woman!"

"But, if a Soul was inserted," I said, "Then Hope wouldn't exist anymore and it would be someone else in her body! I don't think I'd be able to live with that!"

"So what?" the Seeker said, "Here on Earth, it's called nipping something in the bud. Your new neighbor will make your life a living hell, Wanderer, as she would to the rest of our kind. To prevent that, the human race needs to be extinguished, so we can lead peaceful lives here."

"You know what?" I asked, "Maybe you're right. Because with a Soul like you, who needs humans?"

"You take that back, right now!" she shouted.

"Why should I?!" I asked, "You put this human here with the sole intent of making me, a fellow Soul, absolutely miserable! What honest Soul would do such a thing?!"

She fiercely kicked my door in her anger.

"First Healer Fords and now you!" the Seeker said, "There is nothing wrong with me!"

I would've asked if she was sure, but I don't think I want her to be any angrier than she is already, so I said nothing. The way she's acting, she might pull out her gun and shoot at me. What on Earth would cause a Seeker to act like this? Like a human, almost?

After taking some deep breaths, the Seeker was calm again.

"Fine," she said, "Enjoy your present, Wanderer."

With that, she left.

I sighed. What am I going to do? The Seeker's out of my hair for now, but there's still the human girl to worry about. I can only hope that's she reasonable.

The door to the cell next to mine opened and I looked in through the rather large glass window. Two male Seekers carried a young woman inside. I suppose this is my 'neighbor'. She had slightly tanned skin and brown hair that went down to her shoulders. Apparently, the Seeker had given her a new wardrobe, because the clothes the girl was wearing looked brand new, despite that this girl probably lived in the wilderness somewhere, being human and all. That's what her kind has been reduced to since we've occupied their houses and reported them to the Seekers whenever we spotted them. Meeting little Hope didn't necessarily make me love humans like the Seeker claims, but it did make me realize that humans are more like us than we thought. Sure, they're more violent and emotional than we are, but they probably have friends and family that they cherish like we do. The fact that they've resisted us more than any other Host species in our long history should mean something. Of course, even if we did realize what we were doing was wrong, we can't just leave. First of all, we love this planet and, for some of us, this is our home planet. And, second of all, there's too many of us to move at once. This means that we need to somehow find a way to coexist with each other. Far from easy, I know.

I shook my head and sighed. I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm stuck in here with a human girl who will most likely not listen to a word I say, thinking I'm lying to her. I really hope that she realizes that I'm in the same situation she is. Once she hears my story, I'm sure we can at least become allies. But, I'd have to get through to her first, and that's not going to be easy because, as I said before, she'll naturally think me untrustworthy and, as such, will think I'm lying the entire time to save my own skin. As if I could ever be that selfish.

The Seekers laid the girl on the bed and walked out. One of them waved to me. I waved back half-heartedly. I then sat on my bed, putting my head on my knees, waiting for the girl to wake up. This'll be fun.


	3. Introduced

**Now here's something from Mel's POV. Tell me what you think.**

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Melanie POV

Where am I? Wait... Am I still me? How? Why? I thought for sure that they'd put one of those parasites inside me. This doesn't make any sense. Ugh... My body feels so heavy. It was a while before I could open my eyes. When I did, I found myself in some white room with a single door on the wall opposite me. I tried to stand up but rolled off the bed and fell onto the floor. Oww...

"If I were you, I'd wait until I got my energy back before attempting to move," a voice said.

I looked up from where I lie on the floor and saw a girl looking at me through a large window. She looked smaller than me. She was probably smaller than Jamie even. She had long, curly blond hair that went down past her shoulders. She also had pale skin with a good amount of freckles on her face. But that's when I saw the silver ring in her eyes. A parasite! She - no, it - sighed.

"This is not going to be easy," it said, "I knew that from the start."

"What?" I asked, "Getting me to surrender? I'll never submit to you centipedes."

"You'd think I would, wouldn't you?" it sighed.

"Of course I would," I responded, "You parasites are all alike. You want to stick your little friends into us simply because we're too violent for you."

"You are, though," it replied, "Solving disputes with fisticuffs and bloodshed instead of diplomatic talks."

"Diplomacy doesn't solve everything," I retorted.

The parasite sighed again.

"No, I guess it doesn't," it said, "The fact that I'm in here is proof."

I was not expecting that response, so I was confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"As hard as this might be to believe, I'm an inmate here," it said, "Just like you."

The thing was right. That is hard to believe. I thought they were all one big, happy family.

"What the hell did you do to get on the Seekers' bad side?" I asked.

"I got in the way of their duty," it explained.

The body-snatcher took a deep breath.

"A month ago, my next-door neighbors decided to let me in on a secret they had been keeping for months," it began, "It turns out that they had had a child."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why would they have kept their child a secret?" I asked.

"That's simple," the alien said, "The child was human. They hadn't given her up for insertion."

I was at a loss for words. It could be lying, though. I've seen children with parasites in them. No way would parasites make an exception.

"You think I'm lying, don't you?" the one in front of me asked, "You'd know if I was lying, I'm so bad at it."

"All right," I said, "Let's say what you're saying is true. Why the hell would they spare their human child?"

"Love," the parasite said simply, "That's all there is to it."

"Love?" I asked.

What kind of simpleton did this alien take me for?

"Yes," it said, "We might take the emotions themselves from our Hosts, like parasites, but our feelings are our own. If I say they loved their child enough to keep her as a Human, then they did."

"Why, then?" I asked, "If you're such compassionate beings, then why are you exterminating the Human race like this?!"

"I already told you why," it answered, "You Humans have been known to fight and kill each other for the most ridiculous of reasons, sometimes for no reason at all. Add the fact that you mistreat this beautiful planet you call home to the point where nothing can live on it. You might consider our methods for fixing these problems amoral, but look at what's come out of it. No war, no hunger, no poverty, no crime. Earth is a utopia. Well, maybe not for mankind, but it is for us Souls at least. Of course, even if there was nothing wrong, we need Host bodies just to survive. It's the sad truth of what we are."

I stopped it right there with a hand. I wanted to deny what the parasite was saying, but I couldn't help admitting to myself that it was all true. By this point, I was able to lift my body to a kneeling position. Before I could say anything, though, another voice sounded from the hallway.

"How is the Human treating you, Wanderer?" the voice asked.

"Better than you were probably expecting, Seeker," the parasite, Wanderer I suppose, responded, "She and I are having an interesting discussion/argument. I would say your plan backfired but I cannot say for sure."

"What?!" the Seeker shrieked, "I was expecting death threats to come spewing out of the Human's mouth! You should on the floor, covering your ears, and in the fetal position!"

Wait! Was I hearing this right?! A parasite actually wanted another one to suffer?! As it turns out, I wasn't crazy, as Wanderer had heard the same thing.

"Just listen to yourself, Seeker," it said, "Have you considered getting yourself extracted from your Host because you are clearly not well."

"I told you! There's nothing wrong with me!" the Seeker yelled.

"Maybe not with you necessarily," Wanderer clarified, "But something about your Host is causing you to act this way. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a Human disguised as one of us. Please consider extraction, Seeker. I only want to help you."

"I am not skipping!" the Seeker yelled, "That would be like admitting that my Host is too strong for me and that I am weak! If you were in my position, you'd feel the same way!"

What did that Seeker mean by the Host being too strong? Wanderer gasped. It seemed the alien knew what the Seeker meant.

"I suppose if I had a resistant Host..." Wanderer trailed off, "Yes. I suppose I would feel the same way. Having been to as many planets as I have, I might want to hold on to my pride like you are now and stubbornly refuse to skip. But then again, I'm already in that situation. It's taking everything in me not to demand the Healers to take me out of this body, as I don't want to seem ungrateful. While my Host doesn't resist me, her body is small, physically weak, and her emotions are too easily read."

Resistant Host? Does that mean that the human is still alive in there? And, is Wanderer... complaining? Not bringing up flaws but actually complaining?

"You don't have someone else in your head screaming at you, so spare me your sympathy, Wanderer," the Seeker said, "Have fun with your new friend."

With that, she stormed off.

"We're not friends," Wanderer muttered.

"Er... Wanderer, right?" I asked.

"I'd ask you to call me Wanda, but I don't think we're there yet," Wanderer replied.

"'Wanda'?" I asked, "What's up with that?"

"It's what my friends call me," the alien explained, "Our names tend to be rather long, so we shorten them in some way. Mine's just Wanderer, though. Speaking of names, however, you know mine, but I don't know yours. That's kind of unfair, isn't it?"

"I guess," I said, "Name's Melanie Stryder."

"Thank you, Melanie," the alien said, "It's nice to finally be able to call you something other than 'Human'. It wouldn't exactly be nice of me to constantly call you that."

"That brings me back to what I was going to ask you," I said, "What's up with you? You don't act like the others I've seen."

"Observation only gets you so much information," Wanderer said, "Have you ever spoken to one of us before?"

"No, of course not," I said, "You'd turn me in in a heartbeat. Speaking of which, I thought you guys looked up to your Seekers or something."

"We do," Wanderer said, "It's just that particular one. In the little time that I've known her, she's seemed a bit fanatical when it comes to assimilating Humans. But now, she's starting to scare me a little. She apparently has a resistant Host, yet stubbornly refuses to have herself extracted. All for the sake of her pride as a Soul. Maybe if I had a resistant Host, I'd understand her feelings, but the fact is I don't and I never have either."

"Are 'resistant Hosts' common?" I asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Wanderer replied, "I've only heard of them from Healer Fords Deep Waters, as he had dealt with two such cases. The Seeker is the first Soul I've actually encountered that has one."

I sighed.

"There's no hope, is there?" I asked.

"Don't say that," Wanderer said, to my surprise, "Hope can't be the only Human child of Soul parents. There are probably others out there somewhere."

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"Hope, the child I mentioned before, helped change my perspective on Humans." Wanderer answered, "She made me realize that you're probably more than violent, emotional savages. That you too have loved ones that you cherish like we do. That's at least part of the reason you lash out at us, right?"

"That's right!" I shouted, "We've lost our families to you parasites! They're total strangers now!"

Wanderer cringed.

"I'd apologize, but it wouldn't change anything," it said.

I sighed. The alien was right. It wouldn't change a thing.

"I never thought I'd say this to one of you, but I'm sorry," I said.

"You have every right to be angry," Wanderer said sadly, "We invaded your home, taking your loved ones away from you and trying to do the same to you."

"If you really feel that way, then say something," I said, "Make a stand."

"It's not that simple," Wanderer replied, "Everyone would think my Host was influencing me. Plus, everyone is too terrified of you Humans to think anything more of you than bloodthirsty savages. Also, I'm stuck in here, remember?"

"Oh right," I said.

"Do you have any loved ones left?" Wanderer asked.

I stiffened.

"I was only curious," Wanderer clarified, "I've no intention of informing the Seekers. I swear it."

No way was I telling this thing about Jamie and Jared. Wanderer seemed to realize something.

"Seekers," it said as it turned towards the door, "Would you mind leaving us? You must be hungry and/or tired."

"What if the Human tries to hurt you while we're gone, Wanderer?" a voice outside the door answered.

There were Seekers outside the door?!

"I don't think she will," Wanderer said, "Right, Melanie?"

The alien then winked at me. I gasped in shock. Was it actually trying to get them to leave? I recovered and decided to go along with it. I nodded.

"She just nodded, meaning she won't hurt me," Wanderer said, "You two go rest."

"We would feel better if the Human was guarded," the Seeker replied, "I'll go get food, while Burning Flames here stays to guard the Human. Will you agree to this arrangement?"

Wanderer sighed.

"All right, Seeker Calm Waters," it said, "I'll agree."

"Good," the Seeker said, "I'll be back soon."

Its footsteps left down the hallway.

"Well, that didn't go the way I'd hoped," Wanderer sighed.

"Hold that thought," I said.

I was able to stand at this point, so I stood then went over to the door. Burning Flames, I think that was its name, was standing in front of the door. I quickly reached through the bars and managed to put the body-snatcher in a sleeper hold until it fell to the floor unconscious. I then went back and sat in the chair across from Wanderer, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"You wanna know about my family or not?" I asked.


	4. Released

**Sorry to keep you folks waiting. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Wanda POV

Melanie, with some reluctance, told me about her younger brother, Jamie Stryder, and the love of her life, Jared Howe. I asked why she suddenly seemed to trust me. Her answer was that: 1) I had protected Growing Hope from having a Soul inserted into her (though it wasn't until later that Melanie actually believed that to be true); 2) I had made sure there was no audience (though Melanie had to finish what I started in her own crude way). In any case, she loved the two boys very much and being separated from them was clearly affecting her. So, being the kind Soul I was, I promised to do what I can to help her reunite with them. Melanie asked how and why. I wasn't sure how. I knew why, however.

"Because I won't sit by and watch you hurt from being away from them," I reasoned.

"What about you?" Melanie asked in reply, "Jared and whoever else will kill you without a second thought. You'd be better off if I went by myself."

"First of all, why are you concerned with my well-being?" I asked, "I'm only a parasite living in the back of this girl's head, erasing her consciousness in the process, just so I can live on this planet, after all. Isn't that how you perceive me?"

"Well, yeah, but," Melanie said, "I'm just wondering if you really want to risk your life like that."

"We'd all risk our lives if it came to it," I responded.

"Really?" Melanie asked in surprise.

"Oh yes," I said, "If we all weren't so scared of you Humans, we'd give our lives to protect you, like Beautiful Willow, Willow for short, and Mighty Oak, Mike for short, would for Growing Hope, Hope for short. Of course, we'd have to realize why we should in the first place."

"And, why's that?" Melanie asked curiously.

"It's because no Host species has resisted us like humankind has before," I responded, "And I think I know why. Your emotional attachments to each other practically rival our own. As such, you actually feel the loss of your own and naturally fight against it. But, I've said all of this already. How are you going to escape?"

Melanie did something I wasn't expecting in response. She snorted as if she found humor in what I had just asked.

"Is there a joke I missed?" I asked.

"You think I'm just gonna leave you here?" Melanie asked in reply, "There are two problems with that. 1) You did nothing wrong, so you don't belong in here; and 2) I don't completely trust you, so you're coming with me whether you want to or not. Besides, you seem to like Jamie a lot. Wouldn't you like the chance to meet him?"

Needless to say, I was shocked by this. Though, thinking about it, those were all valid points. And, I will admit to that last one. I sighed.

"All right," I said, "How are _we_ going to escape?"

"You just leave that to me," Melanie answered, "However, you have to do what I tell you."

"Am I going to be hurting someone?" I asked.

"No, I'll be doing that part," Melanie assured, "You just say I don't seem well and suddenly I collapse. Then, when they come in to check on me, I'll spring up and knock them out. Think you can agree to that?"

"Let's put it this way. I'd rather lie to my fellow Souls than inflict any violence on them," I said.

"Don't worry," Melanie replied, "Seeing as I'm stuck with you now, I might as well try to be as nice as possible and not make you do things you don't want to do, especially if I want your cooperation (Though, I'm probably going to make you do a lot of things you wouldn't like doing). Despite what you may think, we're not cruel people. Well, I can't really speak for every Human."

"Just like I can't speak for every Soul," I replied, "Our opinions can differ like those of you Humans, you know, though not by much, admittedly."

However, before we could continue, we were interrupted by a cry of horror, along with the sound of a flat metal object hitting the floor.

"Flames!" cried the voice of Seeker Calm Waters.

Needless to say, he had returned to discover Seeker Burning Flames' unconscious body, no doubt dropping the tray of food he'd brought back with him in horror.

"Are you all right?!" Calm Waters asked while shaking Burning Flames fiercely.

I turned to Melanie, silently asking what we were going to do now. Apparently, she already had the answer.

"Screw the plan," she said to me, "Let's just get out of here."

She then turned to the door.

"I'm the one who knocked your friend out," she said, "If you want me, come and get me."

"Why?" Calm Waters asked her, "What did he do to you?"

"Wanderer and I wanted to have some privacy and he didn't leave like you did," Melanie replied.

"That was for Wanderer's safety," Calm Waters said, "Not that you would care."

"If you cared about her safety," Melanie retorted, "I wouldn't be anywhere near her. The only reason I'm in the cell next to hers is because of your coworker."

"You mean Fire Chaser?" Calm Waters asked, "Well, she's rather fierce. So much so that none of us wants to cross her."

"And you guys didn't have a problem with this at all?" Melanie asked.

"Of course, we had objections to this, but..." Calm Waters said before trailing off.

"But, you're scared of her, right?" Melanie asked in spite, "You've probably tangled with a lot of us Humans. How is one Seeker any different? Can't you all just gang up on her or something?"

"And betray our fellow Soul?!" Calm Waters asked in disbelief.

"Yes, because it's the right thing to do!" Melanie answered, "Tell him what you told me, Wanda!"

I was shocked that she had called me Wanda, but I was going to have to save that question for later.

"He already knows, Melanie," I explained, "Any and all Seekers have been warned about the signs of a resistant Host. With that in mind, though, why has Seeker Fire Chaser not been extracted from her Host yet?"

"Well, whenever we suggested it, she gave us an earful, as the Humans say," Calm Waters explained.

"So!" Melanie yelled, "That's when you grab her and force her onto an operating table! You're Seekers, for Christ's sake!"

"Always willing to resort to aggression when all else fails," Calm Waters replied, "That's just like you Humans. In fact, why am I even discussing this with you? I should have you brought back to the Healers."

With that said, Calm Waters took Burning Flames' card key and opened Melanie's door, pulling out a can of Sleep.

"What is that?" Melanie asked.

"It's Sleep," Calm Waters explained, "The name should be self-explanatory."

No! I promised Melanie that I would help her get back to her brother and lover! But, that meant only one thing. I'd have to distract the Seeker so that Melanie could subdue him. But, could I bring myself to do it? Before I could ponder it further, however...

"What on Earth?!" cried another voice.

It was the small Seeker, Fire Chaser, again.

"What happened here, Calm Waters?!" she asked.

Unfortunately for Calm Waters, Fire Chaser's sudden arrival was the distraction Melanie needed. She punched Calm Waters in the face, snatching his gun from its holster as he stumbled and fell to the floor. Fire Chaser was quick to act, pulling out her own gun and taking aim at Melanie. Before she could pull the trigger, however, her left arm seemed to spring up on its own accord and grabbed her right arm.

"Wha?!" she asked in shock, "No! You will not interfere!"

I was confused at first before it hit me. Her Host! Is Fire Chaser starting to lose control?! All the more reason for her to be extracted immediately! Fire Chaser managed to regain control, only for Melanie to shoot her left shoulder. The force sent Fire Chaser to the floor, clutching her shoulder in pain. Trying to ignore the pain, she then raised her gun again, only for Melanie to kick it out of her hand and sending it five feet away. Calm Waters, after a few minutes, recovered from his shock at Fire Chaser being bested and got up again, can of Sleep still in his hand.

"That's far enough, Human!" he said.

Melanie turned her gun to him.

"You have the card key to Wanda's cell, right?!" she asked, "I suggest you give it to me before I shoot you and take it myself!"

"Why should I?" Calm Waters asked, "You'd just kill her the first chance you'd get."

Melanie grit her teeth in frustration.

"No! I wouldn't!" she yelled, "And, I'm only asking for Wanda's sake! If it were up to me, you'd be dead already!"

"Yes, you would!" Calm Waters yelled, "You Humans have been known to kill each other for ridiculous reasons!"

"I already heard it all from Wanda!" Melanie said, cutting him off, "And, she's right! Humans have killed each other for little to no reason! But, you worms aren't perfect either! You only see us for our faults and think us unworthy of existing! It's only natural that we retaliate!"

"Be that as it may," Calm Waters responded, "You threaten our peace and safety as a result! Our actions towards you Humans are surely understandable, then?!"

Melanie groaned.

"Fine!" she spat, "Now, I'm not gonna ask again! Give me the key, and Wanda and I will leave quietly and you get to live another day! _Comprende_?!"

"There's no way I'd risk agreeing to that!" Calm Waters answered firmly.

"If that's what you want," Melanie said.

I'd already watched more violence play out than I was comfortable with, so I turned away, knelt on the floor, shut my eyes tightly, and covered my ears. Even then, I heard the gunshot ring out, followed by the can of Sleep hitting the floor, and then Calm Waters' body hitting the floor.

"Now, where is it?" I heard Melanie mutter to herself.

I couldn't make myself look over. I would likely be mentally scarred by the sight of the blood and gore.

"Found it," she said, "Now, let's get you out, Wanda."

"Not on my watch," Fire Chaser said, having dragged herself over to her gun and grabbed it while neither one of us was looking, "Wanderer must be punished for betraying her own kind. I will see to that."

Was I betraying my kind? By consorting with Melanie and promising to reunite her with her loved ones, I might be.

"It sure as hell doesn't sound like treason to me!" Melanie said, "Wanda tells me that you went against the wishes of your own brethren and insisted that one of you is inserted into their infant daughter! Now, that's treason!"

"It's for the greater good!" Fire Chaser responded, "The Human children living among us might seem innocent now, but once they've grown, they will one day become discontent with our lifestyle and rise up against us! You Humans have no inclination towards peace and stability!"

"We might have violent tendencies," Melanie replied, "but that doesn't mean all of us like hurting people! In fact, we try to teach our children that violence is not the go-to solution to everything! It's just that you worms won't give us a chance!"

"And, why should we?!" Fire Chaser retorted, "You Humans have a history of intolerance towards those that are different and you either try to assimilate them or destroy them!"

Melanie actually laughed at that.

"That's funny, coming from you!" she said, "You know, there's an expression here on Earth! It's called 'the pot calling the kettle black'! In other words, don't you do the same thing to any Host species you come across?!"

"We're nothing like you Humans!" Fire Chaser yelled, "You _think_ you're doing the right thing by assimilating others whereas we _know_ we're doing the right thing, especially here on Earth! You were going to drive your planet, as well as yourselves, down to the ground!"

"So, you thought that killing us off was the right idea, instead of working alongside us like the peaceful beings you're supposed to be?!" Melanie asked viciously, "I don't see how you're any better than we are!"

The Seeker pointed the gun at Melanie's head, having had enough. I didn't like what Melanie was saying about my species either, but, to be honest, it made sense. We've assimilated or killed others that were different by the preconceived notion that it was for the greater good. And, while you can't argue the fact that Earth is a better place because of our intervention, we did it without consulting mankind first. Our research into Humans should've been more thorough. My thoughts were interrupted by a gunshot. Melanie managed to get down before the bullet went over her head.

"You are _not_ getting away!" Fire Chaser yelled out.

She fired another shot, Melanie quickly rolling out of the way. I knew this could only go on before Melanie was finally hit. I had to do something. With that in mind, I ran at the door to my cell.

"Please, Seeker! Stop this! This isn't right and you know it!" I cried.

"Quiet, traitor! You _will_ be next!" Fire Chaser yelled.

That was all she was able to say before Melanie used the opportunity I'd given her and pressed her foot down on Fire Chaser's right arm, resulting in a sickening crack and a shriek of pain from the Seeker. No doubt, Melanie just broke Fire Chaser's arm. Nothing the Healers can't fix. Melanie turned towards my door and walked over.

"Now, how does this work?" she asked herself, looking at the card key in her hand.

"You insert it..." I began.

"Like this, right?" she asked, inserting the card key into the reader beside the door.

She must have done it wrong because I didn't hear the lock release. She pulled out the card key in frustration.

"Face the card key the other way," I said.

She did as I suggested, and the door unlocked.

"Sweet," Melanie said.

She then opened the door.

"Now, let's get out of here," she said to me.

I looked at Fire Chaser, sprawled on the floor, clutching her arm in pain.

"Melanie..." I began.

"No," she answered bluntly.

"But..." I replied.

"Helping her will only slow us down, Wanda," Melanie explained, "Besides, Flames over there might wake up and he'll help her, so we should concentrate on getting ourselves out of here."

I sighed. Melanie was right. Burning Flames might eventually wake up and that was all the help Fire Chaser would need. Nonetheless, I turned to the Seeker in question.

"Goodbye, Fire Chaser," I said, "I don't know if we'll ever cross paths again, so I'm saying this now. Before I go, though, I urge you to get yourself extracted from your current Host. No amount of pride is worth you losing control again, especially if you lose it for good."

All Fire Chaser did was glare at me in response. I sighed and shook my head. Perhaps there's no getting through to her, after all. I turned back to Melanie.

"Alright, let's go," I said to her.

And with that, we were off down the hallway.


End file.
